Pages

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Ten (Mostly Bikey) Links to Check Out

Thought I'd share with you some of what I've been reading online lately. Yes, it's a bit bike-heavy, but it's varied: from how bikes affect our brains, to bike clothing that actually doesn't look dorky, to kids on bikes, to why bike infrastructure is good for us all. With a little sewing & semantics thrown in for good measure.

Here are my last ten bookmarked pages:

One of the reasons I bike as much as I can is because it makes me feel good. Reading this article in The Independent gave me some insight as to why, as well as how cycling may be part of the solution for the treatment of ADHD, Parkinson's & even the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Whenever I post a list of great links I've read, Annie's blog, PhD in Parenting is on there. Her post about the term 'mompreneur' is an interesting read & it's definitely worth reading through the comments too. What do you think about all the terms that have 'mom' attached to them, like mom blogger or mompreneur?

I'm reading Elly Blue's Everyday Bicycling: How to Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever Your Lifestyle) & discovered that she's got a project on Kickstarter at the moment. It's to fund the production of "Disaster!", the latest issue of Taking the Lane's quarterly journal. a collection of empowering nonfiction articles on bicycling.

I also found this skirt on Kickstarter--can't remember who linked to it somewhere in SocialMediaLand--& since then at least three people have sent it to me. So I'm telling you about it: it is a pencil skirt that transforms into something practical for cycling. Check out the Iva Jean Reveal Skirt. I think I'm going to have to order one when they come out in April...

A lot of people seem to think cycling infrastructure is wasted money because the majority of people still drive or use other forms of transportation. However, improving our roads for bike riders benefits everyone, as explained by this Yes Magazine article.

Reading about this family's short cycling tour made me want to take a bike trip with Sprout ASAP. It's a personal story with some handy tips for riding with kids.

You've heard of a "walking schoolbus" or a "bike train", maybe? Well here's an actual schoolbus that's powered by children, as well as a few other innovative ideas around cycling like the world's largest bikeshare in China & a public bike repair station.

I'll finish off with something inspiring: meet Toby Field, a morbidly obese man in the UK who started cycling to work with on a bike bought through a government tax incentive plan. (WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS IN CANADA??) I'll let you read the article & watch the embedded video there to see what happened over the next two years.

What have you been reading on the ol' interwebz lately? Found any gems you'd like to share? Add them in the comments below!

Nothing says “best gift ever” like a caribou!Starting at just $40, Gifts of Canadian Nature help protect habitat for Canada’s native wildlife. A Gift of Canadian Nature
lasts for years to come and is a gift that gives thrice! Once to the
recipient with a personalized certificate and
a beautiful calendar, once to the giver with a charitable tax receipt,
and once to Canadian wildlife. This year we are featuring the snowy owl,
the grizzly bear, the caribou, the gray fox and the Canada lynx. Click the image or follow this link for more information.